Hortons to be honored as grand marshals

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Photo by Mackenzie Dore

Nancy and Ted Horton have been chosen to serve as grand marshals of Canyon Lake’s 46th annual Fiesta Day on May 25. The event is considered the granddaddy of all Canyon Lake events.

Nancy and Ted moved to Canyon Lake 19 years ago and have been actively serving the community for more than a decade. Nancy, who retired in 2006 from a career as an educator for 42 years, was elected to city council in 2008 and was appointed to serve as mayor in 2010. During that time, she served on the Lake Elsinore San Jacinto Watershed Authority Board of Directors, San Jacinto River Watershed Council Board of Directors and was a member of the Total Maximum Daily Load Task Force where she assisted with applying for grants to provide alum treatments in Canyon Lake. She also is a founding member of the Quail Valley Environmental Coalition.

Nancy co-founded the Canyon Lake Veterans Day Committee in 2009 and has served as chair of the team responsible for installing the Veterans Memorial Monument in the Towne Center in 2011. She founded Canyon Lake’s National Day of Prayer in 2012 and has served as the chair of the event since its inception.

In 2014, voters elected Nancy to represent Division 1 on the board of the Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District.

Over the last 10 years, Nancy and Ted have made nearly 40 trips to take dignitaries out on Canyon Lake in their boat to familiarize them with lake issues. Such dignitaries include Congressman Ken Calvert, Senator Jeff Stone, Assemblywoman Melissa Melendez’s staff, Kevin Jeffries, EPA staff, Santa Ana River Water Quality Control Board staff and city councilmembers of Menifee, Moreno Valley and Hemet. “Building relationships with cities that contribute to Canyon Lake’s improvement can only be a good thing,” said Nancy.

Nancy has spent years and countless hours representing Canyon Lake, including fighting for funding, working on a lake management plan and advocating for the community.” She said she doesn’t regret one minute of it.

Ted was elected to the POA Board of Directors in 2014, during which time he assisted with the Long Range Planning process, development of the Lake Management Plan, main gate installation and Happy Camp rehabilitation.

Ted, a member of the Golf Course Superintendent Association of America (GCSAA), assisted the Canyon Lake POA in applying for the $1.5 million grant for turf conversion to drought-tolerant plants at the golf course. The GCSAA recently recognized Ted for 50 years of service to the association and 45 years as a certified golf course superintendent.

After graduating from the University of Massachusetts Stockbridge School of Agriculture, Ted served on only three golf courses his entire career: Winged Foot, Westchester Country Club and Pebble Beach Company. In 2000, Ted started his own consulting company. He retired in 2018.

Ted serves as the secretary of the Canyon Lake Men’s Golf Club. He is a member of the Tuesday Work Group and a member of several Canyon Lake golf committees, including the Tree Committee and Irrigation Committee, which are sub-committees of the Green Committee. He also serves on the National Day of Prayer Committee with Nancy.

Ted serves on the Audubon International Board and is actively trying to stop the decline of monarch butterflies in the area by creating a butterfly-friendly habitat in his own backyard and urging other Canyon Lake residents to do the same. In March, Nancy and Ted presented a free program on monarch butterflies at the Canyon Lake Library for more than 60 children and adults.

The Hortons support the city’s Turkey Drive each year by donating several  turkeys. They also are HOPE volunteers and have been delivering food bags for the past five years to seniors in Lake Elsinore who are food fragile. The couple recently joined the board of the Helping Hands Group, a local organization that offers aid and assistance in the form of long-term and immediate relief with food, clothing, guidance, hands-on support and prayer.

The Hortons are members of several Canyon Lake clubs, including the Travel Club, Fine Arts Guild and Yacht Club. Nancy is a longtime member of the Woman’s Club.

They are avid participants in the Parade of Lights boat parade and the Golf Cart Parade. Their entries have won several awards throughout the years.

Although the couple no longer serves on the City Council or POA Board of Directors, they stay involved by faithfully attending the monthly meetings and offering their knowledge and assistance when asked.

“Ted and I are looking forward to the 46th annual Fiesta Day and are so honored to be the grand marshals for 2019.”